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Why doesn’t Ceiling Fan Dust blow off??

It’s not me Ceiling Fan Dust…it’s YOU!

And… it has been scientifically proven!

Not that is makes me feel any better when I look up and see that sticky and gunky party of dust, hanging out on my ceiling fan blades…Surely, turning them on should scatter that dust. But NO!! It actually makes it worse!

This explains why…

The accumulation of dust on our ceiling fans is not random. Most dust particles carry an electrical charge, and are attracted to one another.

Physicist Chris Ballas, of Vanderbilt University, explains:

“The charged dust particles are attracted and cling to any surface that develops a charge. This can be electrical equipment, (which directly carries electric current) or a surface subjected to frictional forces, which result in a static electricity build-up. The latter is the case for ceiling fans. As the blades rotate, they experience frictional forces as they `rub’ against the air; this knocks electrons around, causing the blades to build up a net charge. The charged dust particles then stick to the charged areas of the blades. The leading edge of the blades usually develops the thickest layer of dust. That’s because the leading edge (the edge first cutting the air as the blade spins) encounters the most friction and develops the largest charge.”

So the dust doesn’t collect on the blades simply by `falling’ or landing on them – it sticks due to the electrical attraction.

Phew!!! I feel so much better now! And…it might makes you feel even better knowing that as ceiling fans attract dust – your surfaces will be left less dusty, when you have the ceiling fans on!

Is there anything I can do to prevent the dust landing on my ceiling fan blades?